Background
Ralf
Ballmann has for years (nearly)
single-handedly manufactured network
analyzers (a precision test instrument akin
in some ways to a spectrum analyzer, but
instead of measuring the characteristics of
a signal, network analyzer measures
characteristics of a device). Ballmann holds
numerous “world’s first” titles regarding
network analyzers. One of his earliest was
in 1983, when he built the first color
display, 2 GHz network analyzer. With over
20 years of manufacturing experience under
his belt, Ballmann’s skill and know-how in
the areas of noise detection, measurement
and abatement have afforded him success
throughout the European Union.

Ballmann’s partner, the very talented
Peter Oberhofer, is responsible for all the
sophisticated software designs used in the
behold GmbH line of products.

Room
Correction: The Road Less Traveled

[The
ADP192 Room Correction installation
procedure took all of 45-minutes and was
performed by Ralf Ballmann on the deck of my
Jersey City, NJ home back in the fall of
'06]

Before
any of these components could unite in
near-perfect synergy, particularly in an
acoustic space as challenged as mine, the
single most essential ingredient was the
introduction of behold’s room correction
software in the fall of 2006 in the form of
the ADP192 module.

Working together with Ascendo designer
Jurgen Scheuring and his Room Tools®
software – acoustic shaping is Scheuring’s
first love – behold announced the first ever
“fast convolution” DSP based (A)udio (D)ata
(P)rocessor, in the ADP192. Mine arrived as
a six-channel module, although the ADP192
can be configured for up to 16-channels. In
addition the ADP192 also offers an active
multi-channel crossover in the digital
domain, which Ballmann boasts offers “zero
phase turn, dedicated time alignment, and
true (time) delay.” Ballmann and
Scheuring claim that the manipulation of
these factors in the digital domain offers
tighter tolerances than any achieved in the
analogue domain.

I
did a single room correction measurement
using an Edirol UA-25, a sort of 24/96 kHz
digital Ginsu knife, that's used only for
its microphone preamp section (made by
Roland Corp). A rather nondescript
microphone was fed directly into the Edirol.
The chosen output from the UA-25 to the
ADP192 was S/PDIF optical, at 24-bit, 96 kHz
resolution. The APU768 preamplifier (which
contains the ADP192 module) was then coupled
to my Dell Laptop via its Ethernet
connection. My laptop was previously loaded
with Ascendo’s Room Tools® software and was
ready for the next step: room correction.

Before starting, I removed the DALI
Megaline’s external crossovers in order to
take advantage of behold's digital
crossover. I designated one channel from
each of the behold BPA768 stereo amplifiers
to drive the Megaline’s ribbon tweeter and
mid/bass drivers. I set the crossover
frequency at the recommended 1200 Hz. With a single click on
the “Start” icon in the Room Tools®
software, a single full frequency (20 Hz to
20 kHz) sweep was generated. The measurement
readily proved that the nearly 8’ tall DALI
Megalines and Sunny Cable Technologies 18”
dual subwoofers overloaded my 17’ by 21’
listening space. The correction screen
displayed a reading of +10 dB between 70 Hz
and 90 Hz and +6 dB at 150 Hz. The Room
Tools® Correction software inverted these
frequency curves (-10 dB at 70 - 90 Hz and
-6 dB at 150 Hz). This would theoretically
result in a flat frequency response in this
room. (Note that this is analogous to how
negative feedback in an amplifier works).
The Room Tools® Correction software allowed
me to find a happy medium since -10 dB at 70
- 90 Hz felt too light in the bass for my taste. A happy
medium turned out to be around -4 dB at 70 -
90 and -2 dB at 150 Hz.

To affect this, I double-clicked over the
frequencies on the Room Tools® screen,
highlighted the frequencies I wanted to
manipulate, and used my mouse to adjust the
curve. It was that easy. Adjusting for the
appropriate filter slopes, however, proved
frustrating since I was unable to find the
exact filter chosen by DALI’s designers.
(Also, in the case of the Sunny Majestic
loudspeakers, only room correction was done
since their internal crossovers could not be
bypassed). I did find the best sound was
accomplished by minimizing the overlap in
the curves for the ribbon tweeter and
mid/bass drivers, by using a very steep 48 dB
per octave slope.

A preamplifier with this level of
versatility – top-flight room correction and
a 6-channel digital crossover – is an
impressive first. DSP-based room correction
has become popular and accepted over the
years, while digital crossovers are only
slowly gaining acceptance in the high-end
arena, particularly in France. With time,
and plenty practice over the years, using
the Tact 2.2XP, I found the frequencies best
suited for my listening room and my tastes.
Obviously, without room correction, my
modest listening space could never have
accommodated a pair of 400 lb 18” woofers.
But with room correction in line, I achieved
a level of performance that otherwise would
have simply remained beyond my reach.

I was able to compare the ADP192
module to the former heavyweight champion in
that line, the Tact 2.2XP. The ADP192
allowed me to remove the DALI Megaline’s
external crossovers and Tact 2.2XP from the
signal-chain, and replace them with a single
behold APU768 preamplifier, a far simpler
setup. Gone were two external boxes with
their multiple inputs and outputs, expensive
signal cables and AC cords, and all the
potential sonic degradation they can bring.
Replaced by a single digital link, the
simple logic of “less is more” was finally
once again in full bloom. (The Tact 2.2XP
linked to the Boz digital amplifiers, my
previous reference, was also an all-digital
one).

The Tact 2.2 XP room correction
preamplifier was far ahead of its time. It
had faithfully served as my reference since
1998, but for the first time in nearly a
decade, a new room correction device from
behold - albeit with a far more expensive
price tag ($15,000 for the module) –
proved superior in comparison. One must
bear in mind that integrated circuits, the
“chips” at the heart of modern electronics,
rapidly and continually evolve toward
improved specifications and performance. The
chips used in constructing the Tact more
than likely were
many generations old despite it bearing the
latest (XP) model insignia.

I won’t mince words. If you attempt to
figure out all of their features, both
behold and the Tact will give you brain
cramps. They are both highly flexible so
there’s no clear winner here. But the Tact
2.2XP does not offer digital crossover
capability. (This feature, limited to
4-channels, is available in the Boz series
digital amplifiers ($12,000), which served
as my reference…until the behold system
arrived). And when it comes to the
construction techniques used between the Tact and
behold, this is where the roads part. Internally and
externally, behold is constructed on an
entirely different paradigm: it is modular
in concept and execution.

Regarding EMI and RFI,
behold designer Ralf Ballmann can easily be
viewed as being almost paranoid. This has
everything to do with why behold designed the APU768 with an
external power supply, and why all modules
are encased in gold-plated and
double-shielded metal housings. Eliminating
noise in any form is paramount to Ralf
Ballmann. His success has been, literally,
built on this philosophy. There’s a
downside: Ballmann's passion to eliminate
noise directly affects the price of behold
components. The APU768 starts at $30,000
and, depending on the modules added, can go
as high as $75,000, (behold power amplifiers
retail for $50k each).

Room correction is so vitally
important to my less-than-ideal listening
space (how many ideal spaces do you know
of?) that I have regarded the Tact 2.2XP as
an indispensable tool for 10 years. I
suspect not many reviewers can name a single
component that has been a reference for this
length of time. That said, the sonic
differences I heard switching to the APU768
were glaringly obvious, almost shocking. The
increase in dynamics, signal purity and
resolution, improved tonality and harmonic
rightness were such that my first thought
was, “Is this right?” Instruments were
better spaced and appeared more solid,
giving new meaning to the term
dimensionality.

The APU768 made my previous setup
appear to hold back the music. The late
Billy Preston’s hit song, “Nothin’ from
nothin’,” describes my experience
transitioning to the behold system. The more
nothin’ you put into your signal chain, the
more nothin’ comes out! behold designed
their entire line of components based on
this simple – but rarely achieved – creed.

Living with the behold electronics has
afforded me the opportunity to learn and use
its uniquely sophisticated software.
Actually, comprehending how to manipulate
and dial-in this software – in an ever
evolving system – has had its ups and downs
due to language barriers and the lack of an
American importer. But once I learned how to
execute a room correction, I realized once
again why I enjoyed music, and this hobby,
as much as I do. (Sam Laufer, a native New
Yorker, and an intensely motivated and
successful businessman, formed Laufer Teknik
after being appointed behold USA.)

Revisit
In my first report I mentioned how
remarkably sophisticated the behold system
is from a build standpoint. behold
electronics have features I’ve never seen in
high-end audio electronics, especially its
eight cascading, 24-bit word length, digital
to analogue converters (DACs) INSIDE the two
600-watt BPA768 power amplifiers. It is at
this final amplification stage that the
digitally manipulated data are converted to
analogue. The BPA768's unique power output
section is Class A. Not Class D or T or
whatever else is popping up on the digital
horizon. I asked Mr. Ballmann, What are
the pros and cons of placing DACs
down-stream?

“The signal chain, Ballmann stressed,
is relieved of sound-degrading analogue
connections, cable, voltage amplification
and final buffer stages.” Three
independent switch-mode power supplies (SMPS)
were designed for the BPA768. SMPS work
faster and more efficiently than
conventional linear power supplies; they are
inherently voltage regulated, and they offer
far greater signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and
bandwidth. And Ballmann has the measuring
tools to back up these claims. After
personally viewing these measurements at the
behold factory, I realized that the
super-clarity and extra-low noise floor I’ve
come to associate with behold products - a
sort of signature sound - was not just my
imagination running wild.

Because
multiple DACs are internal to BPA768, its
input is unusual. There is a single 50 Ohm
coax communication cable (photo right)
between the APU768 preamp and the BPA768
power amplifier. Ballmann says this offer
“...far greater S/N bandwidth and zero
losses.” In addition to carrying digital
music data, these communication ports also
handle the control signals for Power On,
Power Off, Stereo/Mono channel output,
Balance, Mute, and (independent channel)
Volume functions. When using the crossover
feature, you can assign individual
frequencies (and names) to each channel.
These cables also relay diagnostic
information back to the APU768, which
displays it on a built-in LCD screen.

The
APU768 is a feature-laden product boasting a
plethora of menu and sub-menu screens. To
attempt to describe all these options would
take many more pages than I am willing to
write. Their website, somewhat problematical
due to language barriers (although they
write better English than I do German),
offers a better idea of how versatile these
components are. I strongly urge you to visit
their website for any further technical
queries.

Build quality, as I've said, is
superb. The behold chassis is constructed of
20mm (0.7874”) thick anodized aluminum
stock. The bottom panel of the APU768
chassis is double plated for extra
protection against RFI/EMI contamination.
The fully loaded APU768
weighs about 35 lbs!

Lastly,
the remote control is Bluetooth ®
controlled, using a Palm (Dell) Pocket PC.
This is novel, but I prefer a standard
remote. One nice thing about Bluetooth ®
technology is because it uses Industry,
Scientific and Medical (ISM) radio signals,
you never have to aim it directly at the
preamp. But forget trying to sync your
Bluetooth ® cell phone or wireless headset
to the APU768...I’ve already tried using my
system as a giant hands-free head-set.

Front
End
The behold CD player is unique. It's linked
to the APU768 preamplifier with a
gold-plated 25-pin plug, providing Track,
Time, Play, Forward, Reverse, Stop, and Play
information for the preamplifier LCD
display. Like the amplifiers, the CD player
feels overbuilt, using a huge mass of solid
aluminum. Despite its low profile, it weighs
in excess of 35 lbs. That’s pretty
substantial for a product of its size. At
$8,500, it's quite expensive. In my opinion,
however, it is not the sonic equivalent of
the Nova Physics Memory Player. Considering
the superb performance of the behold
preamp/room correction/crossover and power
amplifier, I think the CD player is the weak
link in the series.

But I couldn't be more enthusiastic
about the other behold equipment. Any
potential customer with the financial
wherewithal to afford these products should
certainly not let themselves be intimidated
by the inclusion of a Laptop or PC into
their listening space (behold software is
not compatible with the Macintosh OS as
yet).

Living (just) a little...Laughing (just) a
Little
In the three years that have elapsed since
the behold system arrived at my home, it has
been my reference sound system, along with
the Nova Physics Memory Player, whose
performance and growing reputation continues
to dumbfound. Ditto, Jack Bybee’s new and
improved line of Super Effect products. Then
finally, last summer I swapped out the DALI
Megaline loudspeakers for the horn-loaded
Sunny Majestic by Sunny Cable Technology.
These massive loudspeakers have kept me in a
state of wonder and admiration for the past
twelve months.

Combining behold electronics with the
Nova Physics Memory player, the Sunny
Majestic loudspeaker and the Bybee Super
Effect products, I must say that I‘ve
rarely, if ever, heard a system this
overwhelmingly impressive, in terms of sheer
dynamics as well as with regard to the
delicate handling of that most sensitive of
instruments: the human voice.

I’ve had solid-state systems in the
past that were incredibly transparent and
dynamic but lacking in musicality.
Contrarily, I’ve had tube-based systems that
were intensely musical but couldn’t provide
the ultimate see-through clarity and
dynamics I’ve come to appreciate. Well,
life’s nothing if not compromises. There
exists a certain sonic quality tubes offer,
especially in the areas of
three-dimensionality that solid-state
devices find nearly impossible to achieve.
But we also know that solid-state devices
can put a grip on low-frequencies that few
tube designs can ever achieve. Ralf Ballmann
couldn't care less about the vicissitudes of
audiophile. Of utmost importance to him was
to design a product that would amplify the
original signal with the least amount of
degradation.

If forced to describe in a word behold
sonic character—that word would have to be
tonality. I found most intriguing the body
of subjective and objective evidence that
came through emails, discussions with
audiophiles and music lovers, and many hours
of listening. Tonality (or rightness) is
usually the first descriptive, followed
very closely by transparency, speed and
definition. behold’s dexterity at cutting
through noise (subliminal or otherwise) and
removing ambiguity serves up music in a way
that distinguishes itself from anything else
I’ve heard.

I am persistently reminded that behold’s
tonality isn't accomplished by that old dog
and pony act of thinning high and
low-frequencies, but by an intelligently
designed super-short signal path. On the
contrary, the bottom octaves appear with
greater extension, articulation, pitch and
power. This is not just my experience,
either. Quite a few friends and audio
journalists, whose ears I have grown to
respect, made the same observations. Greg
Petan (long-time friend and editor) and I
have listened extensively to some really
impressive solid-state amplifiers including
the Krell FPB 700x, the Rowland 302, Gryphon
Audio’s Encore, Karan Acoustics’ KA-S450,
and Greg's reference, the Vitus Audio SS-010
monoblocks.

Only when Greg got the opportunity to
hear the behold gear in his own system—on
his own terms, and with the loudspeakers and
other ancillaries he had personally
nominated as his reference—did he recognize
the truth of what I had long been saying
about behold electronics. It only took an
instant for behold to become his new reference.
Greg has never looked back after having
experienced 'a day in the life' with behold gear.

The
St.Louis-based jazz label MaxJazz has
recently released a vocal series of jazz
releases that includes some incredible new
female vocalists(www.maxjazz.com).
All are remarkably well-recorded using
top-notch recording techniques and house
musicians like legendary saxophonist David
“Fathead” Newman, drummer Victor Lewis, and
trumpeter Terell Stafford just to name three
(major kudos to MaxJazz for this alone).
Moreover, these high quality recordings
allow me to revel in the new wave of
virtually unknown but outstanding
songstresses that include Erin Bode, Laverne
Butler, Carla Cook, Mary Stallings and my
favorite CD, Vertigo by Renee Marie.
Her unique rendition of Dixie/Strange Fruit
is as marvelously beautiful as it is
historically disturbing. Recorded using a small amount of
reverb, this classic opens a capella, and is
then sung with a sense of melodic scale and
wonderment that it makes you pay more
attention to the performance, than to the
eerie references to blacks being lynched,
hanged from trees in the old South.
Accompanying musicians are also top-notch,
such as Jeremy Pelt whose Freddy
Hubbard-like style and solo really amps up
this song. Most important, however, is the
discovery of such talented artists such as
Marie. This lady has a certain quality that
is sweet and vulnerable yet strong and
boisterous. Singers of this quality remain
unknown for only a short period. When you
have double-whammies like this Vertigo CD,
where the performance and the actual
recording rival one another, it’s very hard
keeping ones enthusiasm tempered. Marie
sings in a way that makes it hard not to
rejoice over her god-given talents and the
rare sense of rightness the behold
system brings to this extraordinary CD.

Another
remarkably well-recorded disc that I’d
regret not mentioning is Terenga, by
jazz trumpet extraordinaire John Faddis.
I’ve talked about this CD before and would
hope that you readers out there who like
jazz have purchased it. Terenga shows off
all the years of hard-work and dedication
Faddis, a Dizzy Gillespie protégé, has put
into honing his craft. “Waltz for My Fathers
and Brothers,” “Courtship” and “Laurelyn”
are a few of my favorites. Sweet and
melancholic, these tracks feature a rare
side of Faddis (mostly with a mute) showing
a sense of grace and poise that’s not often
visible. During the mastering of Terenga,
Faddis would come over and listen to the
master copy via the behold setup to hear if
the engineering kept it as true to the
original source as possible. After a couple
of listening sessions, he found the sound he
hoped would best represent his craft and
gave it his approval. Upon the release of
Terenga it remained the number one jazz CD
requested for many weeks (and nation-wide)
after it launched back in the summer of ’06.
Faddis personally thanked me by including my
name in his many “thanks” but most
importantly Faddis thanked the system for
allowing him to hear what he hoped could be
accomplished on his most auspicious CD
release. “No ifs, ands or buts about it,
says Faddis, this is the finest system I’ve
ever heard.”

If musical satisfaction is your
ultimate goal and you’re not afraid of the
infinite fine-tuning capabilities that go
with a system like this then look no
further. With the single exception of their
CD player, I could not be more satisfied
with behold as a company and as a product. I
have now been living with these electronics
for three years and am still mesmerized by
their incredible sonics. Moreover, if
there’s an audio system on planet Earth that
claims greater versatility than behold,
please let me know about it. For now, behold
is easily the finest high-end system I’ve
had the pleasure to live with, period.